The Delta independent., 1887-04-12
THE MEAT AK LODE.

from MS snanty hlgh up on spur o1
q the main divide old Pete" Walton
stood looking down on the camp that
stretched. like fiery picket line. along
the slope of the foothills. 1t was six
o'clock. and the mill whistles hegan to
blow. first high up on the sights where
the Emerson and Montreal mines fed
the ceaseless grind and roar of their
stamps, 5000 feet above the sea-level,
then to the right as the Music and Last
Chance dismissed the last shift" of day
miners and put on another set who
would do their dole of eight hours and
yield place in turn to the old-skinned
crew who would see the night out;
lastly, and less shrilly, all along the
snow clad plain below the camp among
the smelters, whose output lay piled
among the drifts ready for shipping
eastward among the refneries at Den
yer and Omaha. Long lines of snow
clad men with pick and shovel a-shoul-
der and lunch bucket of tin rafting
against their big boots. began to stream
from the mines and mills to the big
camp, which looked so bright and busy.
For months he had stood in the door as
the whistles blew and watched the mon
60 by. Now notion took him to go
down to camp himself and mix with
the crowds. So he lost no time in get
ting through with his supper of bread
and bacon.
As he reached the foot Of the long in
cline. across which blew a wind such as
only the Rockies can breed among
their iciest peaks, a sudden furry of
loose snow almost blinded him, and he
had to cover his face with his huge
furry gloves to keep the skin from
being frozen and torn away, it seemed,
BY the rollicking, merciless breath Of
the mountains. In tew minutes more
he had gotten between the rows of hous-
o., some few brick. mostly frame. and
all one-story, which lined Main street.
This was the chief artery in and along
which flowed the wild, high-pressure
life Of the greatest mining camp of the
day. Every cabin was brilliantly light
cd, lamps cleaned from the windows
and in the chief stores through their
wonderful glass doors, crowds of
miners could be seen buying lavishly.
Every other house, at the least. was a
saloon and as he came farther down to
''the business oenter," every door led
into saloon and gambling house COM
bined.
Their heavy wooden doors opened
and shut necessarily with harsh noise
~ the crowd ebbed and flowed from
ons shrine of Pharaoh-god of the
Egyptians, Greeks" and miners-to
another. Three or four thousand men
6lled shops, saloons and the board side
walks, even the middle of the street,
laughing. shouting, drinking and max
Ing merry as men do who are liable to
b blown up with blast. to fall down
shaft, "go broke'' at faro, or die
with their boots on in the next dozen
hours
Walton went into the postofice. 1t
was room fifteen feet wide and forty
fsst long, on one side of which was
counter supporting glass case in
which the mail was distributed.
On the other side was similar coun-
Tor which ranked as one of the best bars
q camP.-~
Every thing was brilliant with the
light Of oil lamps fastened in wooden
Hooks nailed to the pine walls. Ten
bet back of where the counters ended.
sn eithey side. were two faro tables
With dealers in their shirt sleeves.
score Of men leaning over each others
shop1a to get room to put money on
49, hy.tuS and the ''look-out''-the
llAsf't ffiepd and Backer-sitting high
Ghovo stn6n on raised chair to see
that the bets were properly made and
svsrybody got fair play all around.
Back still of the faro tables was lunch
counter quite as attractive apparently
70 the crowd as sure as any of the other
features Of this extraordinary apart
nent
And the owner. the "boss" Of it all,
WAS Jim Borroughs, the sheritf's
brother-in-law and dictator. the owner
Of dozen of the best claims in the dis
kist the backer OF half dozen other
bars and the "banker" who "put-up"
fsr the two games.
Walton passed unnoticed through the
orewd, and sat down near the big, red
stoves. He had often sat there in the
slghteen months he'd been in camp.
rarely going to the drink counter,
never playing faro, seldom patronizing
the lunch-table, but always with an eye
On Jim Burroughs.
And there was never any trouble In
finding him. With his keen little eyes
Of mottled gray, dainty calf-skin boots
and silk hat Burroughs was too un-
like most of his partners, allies and
loyal subjects to be easily overlooked.
He had put sharp question once or
twice TO Walton, this queer weak.
smooth-faced old man, but seeing his
apparent inoffensiveness had never
pushed him hard with questions and 50
had gotten to tolerate his presence.
And the old man never said anything
TO anybody, but, as far rs he could, he
fclloved Jim Rurrouphs with his ewes